August saw the first of many IRL HEIREST events, with over 1,000 customers visiting our Britomart Pop Up Experience during New Zealand Fashion Week. As a brand, this was our first opportunity to showcase what we’d been working on for over a year, giving customers an opportunity to try on over 200 pieces from our launch collection, and build their dream pieces on our state-of-the-art configurator.
However, this event wasn’t just an opportunity for us to show off our craftsmanship, but it also served as a very valuable opportunity to listen to what you’re looking for when it comes to fine jewellery. We thought you might find some of these learnings interesting:
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The rise of the self-empowered woman: to date, 62% of all HEIREST pieces sold have been bought as a gift to oneself, and we love that self-purchasing attitude. 88% of attendees at our Pop Up were also women, and the number of inquiries for self-gifting moments was awesome to see. Whether it was a milestone birthday, a celebration of a promotion at work, or a broader achievement in one’s personal life, the overwhelming sentiment was jewellery could play a sentimental role in marking these moments.
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Elongated cuts are still #1 - a trend we’ve observed for the entirety of 2026 to date - with people actively choosing stone cuts that carry their carat weight in surface area, not depth. Cuts like the elongated cushion, marquise, oval, and emerald are all incredibly popular, and continue to be crowd favourites across the ranges we had on display during the Pop Up. Whilst style is inherently personal, the general sentiment is that longer cuts flatter the finger, and that’s very much on trend as of today.
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Rise of mixed-metal styling: in the wake of a cost-of-living crisis, we’ve heard first-hand from customers that they’re still wanting to purchase fine jewellery, but are far more strategic in ensuring these pieces can be worn with as many outfits as possible. Our Georgian setting was incredibly popular for this exact reason, with people loving the styling flexibility the two-toned pieces afforded.
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Eternity bands are having a real moment: gone are the days of these being seen only as wedding bands. We’ve had customers purchase these as anniversary gifts, push presents, and now even fashion statements (especially with the bezel setting). These rings lend themselves well to stacking, are becoming popular pinky ring options, and for the price, deliver a lot of sparkle.
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Old mine cuts are back: it’s no secret the engagement market is heavily influenced by the celebrity scene, so it comes as no surprise that Taylor Swift’s diamond cut of choice (antique cushion) is of interest at the moment. Whilst not a standard offering within the HEIREST range, we had a number of customers come through our Pop Up asking if we could source these for them. What makes these old cuts so interesting is the facet profile. Instead of aiming strictly for brilliance, these older cuts are designed to be a lot warmer and intriguing.
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that fine jewellery is an ever-evolving category. Sitting at the intersection of fashion and tradition, we love how tastes and preferences constantly evolve between the latest and greatest innovations, and contrast with the tried and tested trends of history.
As a brand, we’re committed to staying at the frontier of what customers want, so we look forward to any customer interaction where we can hear what you’re interested in and optimise our service offering accordingly.
If there’s an item of jewellery you’re looking at creating, please feel free to submit a bespoke inquiry HERE – we’d love to help!
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Meet our Founder - Liam Whittaker Before starting the business, he served as COO of ZURU Edge - one of the world's fastest-growing consumer goods companies - where he spent over a decade scaling global operations. He founded HEIREST because he believed fine jewellery deserved a better model: one where the customer has full information, full control, and every decision in the piece is theirs to make. |
